What is the best evidence for an extremely massive black hole in the center of the Milky Way?
A)Huge amounts of X-rays are pouring out of the center of the galaxy.
B)The center of our galaxy hosts a pulsar that is spinning so fast that it could only be a black hole.
C)We observe stars vanishing in the center of the Galaxy as they are sucked into the black hole.
D)The orbits of stars in the center of the galaxy indicate that the presence of 3- to 4-million-solar-mass object in a region no larger than our Solar System.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The best evidence for an extremely massive black hole in the center of the Milky Way is the observation of the orbits of stars in the center of the galaxy, which indicate the presence of a 3- to 4-million-solar-mass object in a region no larger than our Solar System. This is considered strong evidence for a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. Option A is incorrect as while it is true that huge amounts of X-rays are pouring out of the center of the galaxy, it is not the best evidence for a black hole. Option B is incorrect as there is no pulsar detected in the center of the galaxy, and even if it were a pulsar, it doesn't necessarily imply that it must be a black hole. Option C is incorrect as while it is true that we observe stars vanishing in the center of the Galaxy, it can also be explained by other phenomena such as a dense cluster of objects or a swarm of comets.

What Is the Best Evidence for an Extremely Massive Black